Earth Hits 7 Billion

COMMENTARY | USA Today reports that the population on Earth has reached 7 billion people, and is continuing to grow at a record rate. The fact that 7 billion people are now on Earth is causing a debate about how the Earth could possibly support so many people, considering by 2100 there might be 10 billion people. Here is how I perceive the importance of the world’s population and the impact it will have on our natural resources.

I do not think that a China-style family size limit should be imposed in America, even though natural resources are already at a premium. For one, the limit on the amount of children a person can have is just wrong and unethical. The government should not force people to have children or not have children, because it is not the responsibility or business of the government to do so. Having a family with one child might be OK for some people, but there are a lot of men and women out there that want more than one child. I believe that it is unconstitutional for the government to try to restrict how many children a woman can have, so this type of policy would be horrible to put into place.

I do however think that we should try to focus on renewing natural resources, such as oil and gas. Looking into the future, we need to get away from our dependence on oil, but this is not something that can happen overnight. If we continue to live the way we always have, then we are setting up future generations for failure, since there just will not be enough to go around. More people should be looking at growing their own food such as fruits, vegetables and meat, which will significantly decrease the reliance on these foods at the grocery store. If more people grow their own food, then there will be plenty of food to go around and it can also teach future generations the importance of self-reliance. I do think that fuel is an important natural resource we will have to limit in the future, which can be done by using technology to create a more sustainable source. Our reliance on natural resources can hurt us, but I do not think we will just plain run out of everything one day. As long as we look to the future and invest money into new technology and new options for fuel, we will be okay. We should also focus more on recycling and clean energy initiatives to help preserve the natural resources we have left, but we do not have to significantly change how we live.


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